


Welcome To The Darkness

by thepentomyletter



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, posie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 07:17:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19080145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepentomyletter/pseuds/thepentomyletter
Summary: Penelope Park is a powerfull witch who hates vampires and chase them (She has a lot of reason's to) and Josie Saltzman just became a heretic and return to mystic falls with her twin sister who is also a witch.





	1. I know a lot of things

**Author's Note:**

> please read the notes in the end <3

_Mystic Falls, Virginia._

**Josie**

It's been a week since my sister and I returned to Mystic Falls. Nothing seems to have drastically changed from the day we decided to leave this city and move to Los Angeles. Fortunately, both of us soonly got a job on Mystic Falls' High School: me, as a history teacher, and Lizzie as a science teacher. It's just the two of us from now onwards, and to get financial independence really came in handy. We didn't get the chance to connect with many people yet, therefore we have just a few acquaintances from the time we lived here, but a lot has changed.

The Lockwoods have a new heir, Jed Lockwood, who apparently is the alpha of Mystic Falls' pack. He's also the same age as my sister and I. Milton Greasley is an english teacher and the sheriff's son, but furthermore he is a vampire. Just like me, he doesn't feed on human blood. They are actually the only people we had a word with. Of course they didn't straight up announced what they are, but everyone in the city knows the Lockwoods, and Milton ended up confessing me that he is a vampire, on our third day as co-workers at school. I didn't say anything though, not even a word about being an Heretic, but I didn't judge him either, so that subject was closed as quickly as it started. We are trying to keep our powers hidden, as a secret, even though almost all people know about our mom's coven and about our dad, who was a huntsman. They had a great reputation. But, to be honest, it isn't something that Lizzie and I are jealous of. Contrariwise: we left Los Angeles just to hide from the spotlights, we are trying our best not to get into trouble here.

I let my body snuggle into the bed for a couple of minutes while I'm still trying to open my eyes, reluctantly. I ended up going to bed late for being busy planning lessons for the week, because I didn't want to leave everything until the last minute. Leisurely, I get out of bed and guide myself to the bathroom while my eyes scan the whole room, which isn't totally organized yet. There are a few boxes landing on the floor. It isn't a big deal, we're just still adjusting in the apartment that dad left for us. Dad... that brief thought on him made me paralyze and I felt slightly consumed by melancholy. Tomorrow will mark an year since his death and I can't have a proper conversation about him with my sister yet. The memory of him still hurts me, even more when I remember that our mom was also taken away from us too soon.

I tried to wash off these thoughts while taking a shower. On these curt minutes I could relax.

Impressively, Lizzie already have our breakfast done when I get in the kitchen, and she is... scarily zippy. Don't get me wrong, but my sister isn't the most charismatic person in the world, yet seeing her like this makes me happy. I assume that all of this joy come from her new students, since she's always talking about how they love her — what can be kind of annoying sometimes, but I find it cute as well. She is loving her new job and to leave our demons back in Los Angeles is the best thing we've done. We needed this fresh start.

— Good morning, sunshine, where did all this excitement come from? — I ask her, taking a sit and pouring some coffee on a cup. She sits right next to me, taking the jug of juice and filling a glass with its content.

— What? Can't a woman simply be happy? — She says, making me arch my eyebrows, indicating that I don't buy her speech. I laugh. — Okay, this might be a little unethical, but a guy, who is one of my student's dad, asked me out, can you believe it? He's not that older and still is charming, I hope I get to see him today at school — She told me it all so quickly that I needed a few seconds to process the whole discourse.

— I can't believe it! You know you gotta keep it a secret, don't you?

— Of course I know, and it's not as if we're already planning our marriage, calm down, we are only going on a date tonight — She gets up right after the statement, taking a long sip of her juice and leaving the empty glass at the sink. She continues telling me all her expectations for the date, and I solely listen, limiting myself to make some comments here and there, just to annoy her and, as soon as I finish my cup of coffee, we head to school together.

Mystic Falls' streets, during the mornings, are almost unoccupied. Only some stores are open and there's a few people passing by sometimes, all of them rushing as if the world was about to end and they were the only ones that could save it. The sun doesn't entirely showed up, the weather is cold, therefore I have my long-sleeve striped blue shirt on and jeans pants. Even my hair is untied. Lizzie remains radiant and never shuts her mouth till we get to our destination. When not talking about her mysterious date, she is telling me about how good it feels to move back to Mystic Falls. The last comment made me shrug a little. It isn't that I don't like the city, I absolutely do, it's just that I know her reason to be so relieved for moving here. I'm trying not to demonstrate my uneasiness, so I asked her about her students. This topic lasted until we realize the bustle on Mystic Falls High School's gateway.

Some students are running, others are simply passing by and trying to avoid all the chaos. The police is here and the noise is unbearable, curious' eyes trying to understand what is going on — myself included.

Lizzie doesn't wait long and quickly approaches the scene. The building isn't too old and it is pretty big, it can hold a large number of students, but it seems like there are more people than just the students and teachers, all wanting to know what has happened. Next to one of the trees that surrounds the school there are a few cops, and around them there is a yellow string, like... CSI, you know? My whole body trembles when I get to see a body laying on the ground, next to the tree. It doesn't move a single muscle, the neck marks and the blood smell that it exhales has me frozen. That blood odour was hitting on my nerves, my head hurts and I am fighting myself to not be affected by that. The body belongs to one of the students, I know it because the red jacket of the soccer team is still there. Instead of approaching myself of the situation and ask for information, I try to leave the place as quickly as possible. As soon as I reach the school entry, I get in without looking back. I feel my instincts trying to consume me, but I can't let this happen. Before I could go in my classroom to organize my stuff, I feel a prick on my arm. It is Lizzie. She is mad and I can see it in her eyes.

— You said you've stopped doing it! I can't believe it, Josette! How could you? He was one of my students! Argh, I was such a fool for believing that you-

— Lizzie, stop! It wasn't me, I swear! — I try to calm her down, I'd never do such a thing. — You know I don't feed on human blood — Her expression eases a little and I can feel the disappointment in her eyes. She still doesn't believe that I am not guilty for that boy's death. She remained silent for a long time, till a voice behind us break the ice.

— Sorry, Elizabeth Saltzman? Can I talk to you? — The one who's talking is a brunette woman, just a little bit smaller than me. Short hair, ending above her shoulders. A tension can be felt in the air, what makes me rather slow down. Lizzie simply nods and follows the woman.

I am afraid of what Lizzie can possibly tell her, but I don't think she would arraign me, specially because... I am not guilty. I let my eyes analyze that woman while she is talking to Lizzie, three meters or so from where I stood. Her clothes are black, from her long-sleeve shirt to her cothurnus. She has a badge hanging on her neck and a very, let's say, mysterious aura. Of course I can hear everything they are saying, but Lizzie would probably kill me if she catches me eavesdropping on them, and that's why I decided to go back in the room and listen the conversation from the door. The brunette one seems to be concerned with all that situation, and she asks Lizzie a lot of questions related to the student, such as his name and if he had already got in trouble with any of the other students.

— No, Lukas was a great student. Of course he wasn't perfect, but he didn't deserve this — Lizzie tells the detective, which I assumed she was, and the woman continues carefully listening.

— Right, thanks for cooperating.

— It's okay. Please, if you have any news, let me know — At the end of the sentence, both of them take different ways. I tried to run and reach the desk where I've put my stuff. It didn't work so well. — I know you were listening. Detective Park seems to be pretty good at her job, I really hope you're not involved in this because I'm not helping you to get rid of this — She sharply says, making me swallow hard. I'm offended that she still doesn't believe me.

— I already told you: I did nothing! When they find the vampire who did this, who's absolutely not me, I want to film your face.

— You're not in the position of saying anything, Josette. I'm just hoping that they find who did this to this poor boy.

— Me too.

Judging by all that happened on that day, classes would surely be cancelled. Neither the students nor the teachers would have a mind to do anything after all of that. I just leave the classroom, letting the thoughts inebriate my head for a long time till I reach one of the corridors and find that same detective again, this time talking to a student. A girl. If I'm not mistaken, that is Alyssa, Lukas' girlfriend. The girl is devastated. Her face is all red over crying so much. The detective is still as calm as she can be while talking to the girl. I lean in the cabinets so they can't see me and I swear I'm not that curious but now more than ever I need to find who did that, I needed to prove to Lizzie that I have changed. I'm listening to the conversation. They get to a point where the girl can't control her tears and I can hear her heart beating so fast that it could explode.

— _Tardus pulsatio_ — I hear the detective whisper and right after that, the girl's heartbeat is back to normal. So... is she a witch? — You know, you don't have to keep hiding just to overhear our conversation, just come here and ask. I'll answer any of your doubts — I can't help but startle a little bit. Her voice is too close. I got so distracted by my own thoughts that I didn't realize that Alyssa isn't there anymore, now it is just me and that woman on the corridor.

— I- I am sorry. I'm just concerned about all of this, I didn't mean to disturb you nor interrupt the investigation — As I speak, I finally manage to look her in the eyes. She has greenish eyes. Her face seems to be perfectly sculpted. Not that I care or... feel some kind of attraction. Of course not. I am just observing.

— Okay. Like I already told your sister, any news about the investigation I'll inform the principal and it's up him to decide if he shall or not repass the information to the teachers, but I believe it won't take too long. I already know how this ends — Her expression seems a little sad when she finishes the speech.

— How did you know Lizzie is my sister? — I ask, a little too curious.

— I know a lot of things, Saltzman. By the way, welcome to Mystic Falls. I hope you're used to trouble, we've got a lot of it here — She says, already walking away and disappearing through the corridor right after. I stay there trying to process all that went on.

It really didn't take too long to principal Williams convene a meeting with all teachers and students that still are on the school to give informations about what has happened and inform that classes are cancelled for today and tomorrow, since Lukas' funeral is going to happen on the day after his death and all students should go there and support his family and friends. Like I already have imagined, the murder is said as an animal attack. Typical. What isn't said: the identity of the vampire who did this. On this moment I could relate to detective Park's revolt when she said "I already know how this ends". I feel a little bad too, my consciousness stops me from having a good sleep, because I'm constantly thinking about how many victims I did, how many people had suffered because of what I've became. Because of what I was. Not all vampires are villains, everyone knows that, but almost all villains are vampires.

I sigh while holding my stuff, heading to the place where Lizzie is standing, waiting for me. She still has that worried expression. I can imagine how she is feeling, he was one of her students after all, and specially today she was all excited, talking about them... It's even worse when I think about how this day started.

— I swear I didn't do it — I break the silence when we are almost home. She takes a deep breath and looks at me.

— I know, I'm sorry for taking it out to you. I thought that when we leave Los Angeles our demons wouldn't follow us, but it seems like they've found their way back to us.

— Look, I'm really sorry for all that happened, that boy didn't deserve to die, specially on that way. But I'm not letting our past haunt us. I promise — I say, reaching my arms out to her, waiting for her to do the same. It takes a little time, but she hugs me.

Somehow she was right by saying that our demons always find their way back to us.

— We should go to Mystic Grill today. Sounds good? I know it's not... ideal, but we need to distract ourselves somehow, and tomorrow we aren't going to work anyways — I say, while Lizzie is finishing the dishes and I am leaving the bathroom, heading to my room.

— Ok — That's all I get as a response from her, and I take it. I knew she is sad for losing one of her students, and also for having to cancel her date with the mysterious guy. I am about to make my best to cheer my sister up.

The night comes and, with it, the streets become a lot more crowded and bustling. The noise from the cars is loud and people's footsteps aren't more pleasant to my ears, I can hear everything around me. Sometimes I prefer to focus on these noises than to hear my own thoughts, it is a way out so I won't end up thinking about bad stuff. The lighting poles are already turned on, and the weather remained cold, but not too cold. I am wearing a black cropped, jeans and sneakers. Lizzie decided to wear her jeans jacket, a white shirt, jeans pants and sneakers as well. Her arm is resting on mine as we walk to Mystic Grill. We don't talk much on our way there, but the tension between us have been relieved. Her expression is a lot more eased, and I am relieved over this.

When we finally get to Mystic Grill, I can observe that the construction is a little old. Painted on a greenish tone with white details, the place has some tables landed on the outside, but those are already occupied, so we have to go further to find ourselves a place to stay. The establishment have two floors. Tables on both of them, and there is also a bar. It isn't crowded, since it's a monday. The ambient sound isn't too loud and finally something sounds pleasant to my ears. We sit next to the bar and order two drinks. Everything is doing pretty okay, Lizzie and I are talking about the classes we were planning to teach, but some kind of presence next to us suddenly interrupts our conversation. I feel shivers down my spine. Look aside. A brown haired woman is sitting next to us, her hair is loose and messy, what makes her look sexy. She is wearing a black jacket, black shirt and leather pants. Her eyes are light, but they seem to hide all kinds of secrets behind them. Her eyebrows remains arched as she stares at me. Oh... then I realized that I was the one staring at her. I blush. She keeps that expression and just moves when the barman gives her the tequila shot she ordered. The woman drinks it as if it is nothing.

— I'm going to ask for another song — Lizzie says before I get a chance to ask her not to leave me alone with that woman, but she had already vanished out of my eyes and I'm staying here alone... or almost alone.

— Hope — The woman says, reaching her hand out to me, but I am paralyzed — Hm, playing hard to get. I liked you — She come closer to me and I can feel a little bit of her smell. Not too strong, but definitely inebriating. I pull myself back trying to recompose and don't look silly in front of everybody. Come on, Josette, you're better than this.

— Josette... Saltzman — I finally introduce myself. She smirks, as if I was a challenge.

— My pleasure — She says provocatively, and I can't help but arch my eyebrow, slowly getting on her game. — Oh, look... the devil never misses an opportunity to show up — She says, and my expression turned into total confusion until I realize she is actually talking to someone else. As soon as I turn to look at the person she's referring to, I see the same woman that was at school sooner today. The detective.

— We have different conceptions of the devil. I think by common sense, this word fits you pretty well. Now, before you run away again, I have a few questions to you, Mikaelson — She says and I try to remember where I heard that middle name before. Oh. Mikaelson. Klaus Mikaelson.

— I fear that I don't have time for that, my schedule is full. I'm sorry, darling — She says and stand up, starting to walk away from both the detective and I, but the brunette is quicker and grabs her arm.

— You're not getting away from this — The detective whispers to Hope.

— Darling, I already did — She whispers back, after chuckling. I just stay there, observing the scene, until Hope pulls her arm back and gets out of that place, leaving me gawky. That was the weirdest conversation I had in my life.

— If I were you, I wouldn't mess with this kind of people — The detective says, sitting on the place where Lizzie was sitting before... speaking about her, where is she?

— I think I know how to take care of myself — I say and suddenly realized that my tone isn't really friendly, but even so, I don't apologize.

— Well, I'm glad you do, with all these... animal attacks around here, you must be really careful — She says, emphasizing the word "animal". I don't know if that was a way of dropping a hint, so I just keep staring at her, waiting for a reaction, which doesn't happened. She just stared back at me.

— It's amazing that we have good cops and good detectives to ensure our safety, don't you think? — I simply tell her, what makes her roll her eyes and stand up. I grab her arm. Why did I do this? I have no idea, but I did. — A little drink never killed nobody. We started it off on the wrong foot, detective... — I am waiting for her to tell me her name, then I realize she is looking at my hand. I am still holding her wrist. I release it, but she doesn't run away, just sits down again and made a sign ordering a drink.

— Park, Penelope Park — She says as I take a sip of my own drink, starting to strike up a conversation with her right after it. This is going to be a long night, I think. Before leaving Mystic Falls, I remember knowing almost all families that lived here, but I can't recall none named "Park". I was, indeed, really young when I left the city, but not to the point of forgetting what I lived in Mystic Falls. We left right after our mom's death, there was no longer a reason to stay here. When our father died, we had no reason to stay in Los Angeles, therefore we decided to come back to where it all begun. We thought it was the best thing to do.

— I don't remember any family named Park. Were you born here?

— Yes. I live alone now, but I spent most of my life living with my cousin, Bonnie Bennett. I have no doubts that you've already heard from her.

— Of course, my dad loved her — Mentioning him makes me feel a little sad, I thanked her on silence for not asking any further questions about my family, it seems like she already knows everything she wants to know. This scares me. — So, what's your secret? — I ask. She seems surprised.

— What secret?

— I don't know, it's a secret — I say and she laughs. — I don't know how to explain, but your eyes speak out for you. It seems like they're trying to reveal your soul, but you hide behind a lot of shadows.

— I didn't know you were a psychologist. — She says, making me roll my eyes, she is clearly trying to avoid that subject. We continue talking for some hours and my notion of time get lost, there were so many topics that the conversation seemed to never lose the rhythm. I can't explain, but suddenly I start feeling a horrible sensation down my stomach, making me know that Lizzie could possibly be in danger. Shit, Lizzie is in danger. Shit.

— Twins' thing. I gotta find my sister. — I rush out of that place as quickly as I can, without giving Penelope a chance to say anything. When I reach the outside of Mystic Grill, my phone rings, and thanks to any divine force, it is Lizzie. Or... I thought.

— Is Penelope there? — I hear a sarcastic and almost known voice on the other side of the line, and once again I feel that shiver down my spine. I turn around and Penelope is right behind me. I don't know what to do.

— Where is my sister? If you do anything with her, I swear I'll kick your ass.

— It's cute of you to think you can, babe — Hope laughs and I can't control my anger, I have to do something to save Lizzie. — Now give Penelope the phone. — I couldn't answer anything, Penelope just takes the phone out of my hands as if she knew who is calling.

— They have nothing to do with this, Mikaelson. What the fuck do you think you're doing?

— I'm just playing. I told you not to threat me anymore... right in front of the girl I was hitting on? You ruined my night, I think I can do the same with yours. You know where to find me — I listen to it all and right after this, the call is ended, but a few seconds before I heard a noise as if someone was screaming for help. It was Lizzie. My heart is almost exploding on my chest. Penelope gives me my phone back.

— I'll bring your sister back, don't worry — She says as if she is convinced of it, except she isn't.

— I'm going with you.

— No, you're not. It's too dangerous. I got you into this.

— I don't care, I already told you that I know how to take care of myself, and she's with my sister. I'm not letting anything bad happen to Lizzie. To Hope, on the other hand... — I say, trying to control my vampire side. I don't know if it is a good idea to reveal myself, besides being a witch. Maybe it is easier to get out of this situation using just a part of my powers, I don't want more trouble. — I shall assume that you already know of which family I came from, therefore let's skip the "oh, Bella, do you know what I am?" type of conversation — I say, impatient, and Penelope just laughs. I maintained that expression on.

— Right, she is absolutely on Wickery Bridge. Let's go, we have no time to lose — She rushes, heading to one of the cars parked near that place. I follow her, we get into the car and as fast as possible she drives us to that bridge. I am about to kill Hope Mikaelson. Nobody ever messed with a Saltzman and lived to tell the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry I'm taking too long to post the chapters. I'm not fluent in english, so an AMAZING person is helping me to translate the AU (my babe Theo @artchalkley). I ask for you patience. <3
> 
>  _Hey guys just correcting myself:_ the twins are 23 years old. Their birthdate is March 15th and in this au's timeline we are in April 2nd/3rd. And yes, Penelope is 24y old and Hope too!  
> Hope: May 2nd  
> Penelope: Feb 16th (I just supposed)  
> I'm so sorry. hope u understand:)
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you like the story!!! Any doubts that you may have, you can leave on the comments below or talk to me on Twitter (@wearpy).


	2. There will not be a next time

_Wickery Bridge_

**Josie**

The way seemed to be longer than I used to remember, or maybe it was just the fact that I was too worried about Lizzie. I wanted to get there and rescue her. I couldn't wait. My legs were restless, I couldn't stop them, I needed to save my sister. I didn't die once to let her be killed by a Mikaelson now.

The place was deserted as we got there, the cold wind hit my body, but I was too filled with adrenaline to be bothered by that. We got off of the car and apparently there wasn't a single soul, maybe there is someone with no soul, I thought. Penelope opened the trunk and took out a crossbow from there. She also put on her pockets what I assumed to be grenades.

— These grenades... they were...

— Invented by your dad? Yes. I'm a big fan of him, by the way — She completed, closing the trunk and walking towards the bridge. I followed her.

— I thought you were a witch — I said. She made an "ew" face.

— Those horrible things you see on the movies? Oh, no — She said, but I didn't find it funny. She rolled her eyes. — Ok, bad time for jokes. Yes, I am. From the Bennett lineage, but when it comes to fight a tribrid, weapons are never too much — She offered me one of the vervain grenades. My heart almost came out of my mouth and I took one step back. She looked at me, confused.

— No, thank you, I trust my powers — I said and she simply shrugged, then I heard Lizzie's voice screaming my name. I rushed my steps through the bridge. I saw Lizzie being held by her neck, against the bridge's wall, with Hope threatening to throw her at the ground from there. Before I could make any move, Penelope used the crossbow, but Hope was even faster.

— _Scutum_ — Hope said, creating a barrier to protect her from the arrow. — How daring. Last time you waited a little longer to attack.

— Lizzie, are you okay? Did she hurt you? — I asked, trying to get closer, but Hopes just pressed my sister's body even harder against the wall, making her scream over pain. My blood boiled on that moment, but Lizzie's life was at stake, and I didn't know what kind of things I could do to solve it.

Hope had a distant, cold, unfeeling look, and it brought me terrible memories. She had no humanity inside her, nothing matters to her, therefore if we attacked she wouldn't hesitate on killing Lizzie. Penelope kept the crossbow pointed to the tribrid and I was yet paralyzed.

— What do you want? We didn't do anything! — I screamed, feeling the detective getting closer to me, now standing at my side, waiting for Hope to make any move.

— Why are you so flushed? We are just having fun here, aren't we? — The last phrase was whispered, Hope had her face really close to Lizzie's face. The last one had tears in her eyes and I could see that she had a scratch on her arm. She surely didn't ended up this way without fighting first. Even though she is our clan's leader and has extraordinary powers, she couldn't fight a tribrid alone. No, not alone, but there was three of us, we are the majority. I threw her a look of accomplice and did the same with Penelope, I assumed both of them understood what I meant.

— This is between you and me, Mikaelson. These girls don't have to be involved. Let Elizabeth go and we'll solve this like the old times, just you and me.

— So lovely, Park. You're really dull. Why can't we do it my way?

— You mean by killing any living soul that happens to appear in your way, just because you have no feelings? Because you're just a heartless monster who loves to see people suffering?

— But... liking to see people suffering is a feeling, isn't it? — She said with a smirk in her face. Her tone just made Penelope angrier. There was nothing more to be said, we've already played her game enough. I whispered a spell that would let me read Hope's thoughts, so I could know what she'd do next. _"Dic mihi, hva du vet"_. It didn't work so well, it seemed like her thoughts were all guarded in a specific part of her mind. My head was exploding. 

A whistle almost made me fall down, I screamed while I was trying to reading some of her thoughts... it seemed like I was feeling her pain. Now I could read a piece of her thoughts, I assumed they were the ones she blocked and kept ignoring — because she has no humanity. Penelope threw the crossbow away and approached me, helping me to recompose myself, my nose was bleeding. Hope was looking at her own nails, as if she was bored. Lizzie still was being crushed against the bridge's pillar.

— This is getting boring, let's try something new — Hope said, finally putting Lizzie back on her feet. Before we could do anything, she craved her tooth on Lizzie's neck, making her scream out of pain one more time. The blood was dripping through her body and my eyes started interchanging between its usual color and red. I took a deep breath, trying to control myself, I couldn't let my worst instincts take control over me.

— _"Phasmatos Morsinus Pyrox Allum"_ — Penelope said. Before she could repeat the phrase, Hope screamed out of pain and went down on her knees while Penelope got closer her, with her hand raised, reciting the spell. The woman nearly roared when she managed to put herself back on her feet. Her eyes were yellow and some veins appeared around them. I ran towards Lizzie, who seemed to be unconscious. I tried to suck the bite's energy out and make that wound disappear as soon as possible, so I could stay sane around her. Hope, at this point, had pulled Penelope away, making the detective hit the floor, but it didn't stop her, she soon got up and started fight the tribrid. They seemed to have some background on that.

— Go away and take your sister with you — Penelope almost ordained, and I wouldn't dare to disobey her. I took Lizzie on my arms and tried to ran away from there as soon as possible.

— Oh, no... just when they were about to witness me kicking your ass.

— You wish — Penelope said, punching Hope's face and casting a spell, what made the tribrid be dragged away, hitting her back against the bridge's column. That was the last thing I saw before reaching the place where we left the car parked. I used my super speed to get home as fast as possible. Lizzie needed to rest, and I still couldn't believe that she had to go through all of this. She remained unconscious until we get home. I put her on the bed and covered her using a sheet, picked up some medicine in case she felt nauseousness or a headache and placed it on the dresser next to her bed, as well as a glass of water. 

I sat for a little while on the edge of the bed and watched her for some time, with a aching heart. I never thought I'd see her like this again, she looked so fragile. I couldn't lose anyone else in my family, Lizzie is all I have and I intended to do everything not to lose her. Hope Mikaelson was a bad lot, I already learned that, and if she was able to do that to my sister, what else would she be capable of? She's insane. I felt a twinge of preoccupation and ended up thinking about how Penelope would get out of that fight, Hope was a tribride and even though I saw that the detective had fighting skills and was also a well-experienced witch, I couldn't help but be concerned about her.

 

**Penelope**

My nose was bleeding and my lower lip felt sore, but Hope was not that different, yet she could heal faster than me, what made me really angry. Now I was lying on the floor and she was ready to punch me in the face, but I turned away and got up right away. I grabbed one of the vervain grenades I had stashed in my pocket and threw it towards her, getting back on my feet immediately. Killing Hope Mikaelson has been my goal for two years, since she came to Mystic Falls. She is a monster who cares for no one, just like her father.

The vervain grenade hit her squarely and she coughed as if something was poisoning her inside, her body seemed to burn, but it didn't seem like it would hold her for long. I got closer and held her neck as she choked even more with the gas released by the grenade.

— You're going to pay for everything you did — I said, looking her in the eyes and letting all my hate out. Her smirk made my stomach wrap.

— If it was about money this whole time, you could have asked, I have a lot of it — She said, with difficulty. I couldn't stand it. I punched her on the face as she falls on the ground and then tries to get up.

— _Imitantor pupulos_ — She said when she was fully up. I couldn't believe that she used such a childish spell. I ran toward her, ready to end that monster once and for all, but she raised her hand up and I was forced to do the same.

— Seriously? Imitation? How stupid are you?

— Oh, dear, don't you know how to play? — She said with that cocky tone, approaching closer. I did the same. — Who do you think will survive if we jump from this bridge? A tribrid, or a simple witch? — She said, putting her hand holding my arm tightly. I had to repeat it. Whatever she did I had to do. I hate this spell.

When I was about to scold her again, she just climbed up the bridge's column and threw herself from there. I did the same. My heart almost stopped beating. When my body hit the water, my breathing began to fail. Hope was swimming more and more to the bottom, with me being forced to follow her, but my body couldn't take it anymore. 

I felt my veins itching, my body begging for help and my head ached as if someone was hammering inside of it. When we were already in one of the deepest parts of the river, Hope simply stopped and let her body be carried by the flow. I couldn't breathe anymore, my arms were struggling, trying to get me back to the surface, but I didn't have the strength for it, so everything went bleak and I blacked out letting the water fill my lungs.

 

My whole body was sore, my eyes were reluctant at first when I tried to open them, but as soon as I did, the light made me contract my face in discomfort. I looked around trying to recognize that place, I didn't remember what had happened after falling down of the bridge. It was a room, there were some boxes on the floor near the bed where I was lying, and I was trying to understand everything that had happened. I tried to sit, but as soon as I did it, I felt nauseated, what makes my face wrinkle and I lay down, trying not to faint again.

— How are you feeling? — A familiar voice echoed in the room and I allowed myself to look at the door where Josie was standing with a calm countenance, holding a cup. The smell soonly invaded the room and I was sure it was chamomile tea. She wore only a shorts and a white blouse, her hair was untied and wet. I looked at my own body and realized that my clothes were also a bit wet.

— A little confused, how...? — She came over and handed me the cup of tea, I sat back down in bed, slowly, and took the cup thanking her right away.

— I couldn't just go home and leave you fighting that creature.

— But you do not owe me anything, Saltzman. You were worried about me, weren't you? — I said and she rolled her eyes, totally ignoring my last comment.

— I don't have to owe you anything to be kind and save your ass — She laughs. The tension on the air was relieved.

— But how did you save me? — I asked, curiously.

— Actually I didn't save you, I just got you out of the river. I dived looking for you, which was almost impossible, but I found you. I was a little late. When I got you to the surface, you weren't breathing anymore, I thought she really killed you, but I noticed the ring you were wearing — She pointed at my hand. — Gilbert's Ring, right? — I confirmed and she continued. — My father had one, now it belongs to Lizzie — She told me, I took a sip of the tea and my stomach felt grateful for that, my body had finally begun to relax a bit.

— But I still can't understand how you managed to find me, not that I'm doubting your skills, but that's almost humanly impossible... unless... wait, the Gemini clan — I couldn't control the twinge of anger growing in my chest. — You're an Heretic. A vampire. — I put the cup of tea on the dresser next to the bed and just got up, heading for the door.

— Penelope, wait. What happened? I don't understand why this whole scene — She said, walking towards me, I stopped before going out the door, and took a deep breath. I didn't want to be hasty and let my emotions take control over me. I realized that my reasons were not worth telling. — I saved you and this is how you thank me?

— I didn't ask you to save me.

— Okay, I'll remember it next time.

— There will not be a next time, Saltzman. — I said and left without looking back.

The wind was cold and my clothes were wet, what only made the situation worse. I walked as fast as I could, there was no car, no weapons, all alone in that part of Mystic Falls, but I would not let fear overwhelm me. I let my thoughts inebriate my mind all the way to my house. Hope Mikaelson needed to pay, Josette Saltzman was just one more that I had to keep an eye on. 

This city was infested with these heartless creatures and I gotta fix it, every week a new animal attack comes out on the news and as a detective, to say that this is always the final report, makes me feel even worse. Those people had a family, they had a story to tell, to live, they could have a future, but they didn't had or will, simply because those real animals decided to have fun taking their lives away. Innocent lives. Animals like Hope Mikaelson who only kill for pleasure, for fun, do not deserve mercy.

I finally got home and the only thing I could do was take off my clothes and throw myself on my bed, letting my body relax. My head didn't stop hurting, but I tried my best to get some sleep and try to forget the terrible day I had. **It didn't work.**

The scent of lavender invaded my nostrils when the door was opened and my mother appeared, smiling. She was a bit taller than me, but her hair was brown and curly like mine, her eyes were brown as well. Her countenance was so calm that I could feel my heart soften. I missed her so much. I ran into her arms and gave her a long hug.

— Hey, leave some for us too! — Bonnie complained behind me, and I hear Pedro also complaining, saying something like "she never hugs me like that". I ended up laughing at the comment and letting go of my mother's embrace with a bit of reluctance. Bonnie hugged her right away and I grabbed Pedro, kissing all of his face, making him laugh softly. Pedro was my cousin and Bonnie's son, I saw him being born and helped her to take care of him since his father decided to be a total asshole and abandon her and the poor boy. We walked into my mother's house. Marie Bennett and the homesickness hit me full force.

It was Christmas, Bonnie was carrying some gift boxes and Pedro was pacing around with some Christmas decorations hanging from his body, I think he was actually trying to decorate the Christmas tree, but with no success. I stayed in the kitchen helping my mother with the food and soon my father, Jorge Park, arrived with a few more gifts, placing them under the Christmas tree. 

Pedro tried to rip one of them and my father had to get him away from the presents so that he wouldn't see any of it before the right time. They went into the kitchen, my father kissed me on the forehead and greeted Bonnie, then kissed my mother's face and told her "I'm going to change my clothes". I felt peace there. My whole family gathered... I couldn't ask for more.

— Pedro, do you want to learn a cool trick? — My mother asked the boy who was now on Bonnie's lap. She bent down and faced him. She's always been great with kids. I was finishing up the table, but I couldn't stop watching them, as if I was attached to the moment and never wanted to forget it. Pedro nodded with his head, excited to learn something new, and my mother gave him a smile. She picked up one of the small jars of flowers, which were in the kitchen window, and brought it close to him. She recited an incantation and the flower withered. Pedro's smile turned into a sad (yet cute) face.

— I don't want to learn how to hurt the flowers — He said and Bonnie laughed, they look so much alike.

— I'll teach you how to heal her. Repeat after me, okay? — He nodded. — "Belle la vie a cette fleur, maintentant" — My mother said slowly, so he could repeat the same words. He put his little hand close to the flower as he repeated the spell's words and the flower begun to grow again, its color was more vivid than ever. Pedro celebrated his happiness for having managed to "cure" the flower.

— Look, mommy, I healed the flower! Will I ever be able to heal someone, too? — He asked ingenuously, and Bonnie hugged him, proud of her little boy.

— Of course! — I said, getting closer to them.

— Does this mean you want to be a doctor? — My dad talked down the stairs, going into the kitchen. My mother looked at him, faking an angry face.

— Jorge, we've already talked about imposing a profession on children, don't be an outdone!

— Yeah, dad, don't be outdone! — I repeated jokingly and we followed the conversation with this animation for the rest of the day. I didn't want that day to end, but now I feel like the images are distorting, my heart is racing, the expressions of happiness on my parents' faces became fearful now, my mother seemed to be... dirty. My father's body was lying on the floor, Bonnie and Peter were gone. There was smoke all over the house, and fire, a lot of fire.

I tried to run to save my parents, but my feet couldn't move. I tried to scream, but it felt like I was mute. I didn't control my tears, my mother started to scream in pain now, I felt helpless, I was sweating cold. I looked aside and saw her. When her silhouette came towards me **I woke up.**

My bed was wet because I was sweating, my body trembled and I felt my heart almost exploding in my chest. Once again, this same nightmare. It always begins with one of my best memories and then, fire. I forced myself to get out of bed, looked at my watch, and it was morning. I sighed and went to bathe trying to get my head in place, just like I do everytime it happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like the story!!! Any doubts that you may have, you can leave on the comments below or talk to me on Twitter (@wearpy).
> 
> I'm not fluent in english, so an AMAZING person is helping me to translate the AU (my babe Theo @artchalkley).


	3. We're not friends, we will never be

**Josie**

_5:00 a.m._ I just couldn't close my eyes, my body was exhausted, my head was aching, but every time I tried to sleep, my head was plagued by millions of thoughts and questions. 

I remembered Hope's thoughts. Also remembered Penelope's lifeless body. I remembered how Lizzie was hurt and how she could have died. I remembered the way Penelope had left, not looking back, not showing any sign of gratitude even though I saved her life. No, I didn't do it to get something in return, but I just didn't understand why she had been distant after discovering I was a Heretic. Did that really define me? Will she never look me in the face again? It's not that I really cared, but I still could not figure it out. I knew she had a past with Hope, and believe me, Hope had such a past, but nothing could justify her atrocities, and Penelope shouldn't judge me for being a vampire.

 _5:30 a.m._ I still couldn't sleep, I've tried all positions on that bed and simply couldn't rest my mind. I heard a noise at the door and when I turned around I saw Lizzie standing in the doorway, as if she was wondering if I was awake and if she could enter the room.

— Are you awake? — She asked in a delicate voice and closed the bedroom door behind her. I moved a little to the side, giving her room to lie down next to me and didn't answer, just let her lie in the place that was empty before. — How are you? — She asked, staring at the ceiling. I sighed trying to think of a proper answer, but couldn't find one.

— I should be asking you, how are you?

— I think I'm fine? My body still hurts a little, but you cured my wound so... I'll survive.

— I'm sorry.

— It's not your fault, Josie. You didn't know it was going to happen, I was stupid enough to agree to walk alongside that psychopath — She said and I didn't understand, so I stared at her for a few seconds, her eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

— What do you mean by "walk alongside"? I thought she just had you kidnapped!

— Hm, not exactly. I went to ask for the song while she had approached you, but when I was going back I didn't want to bother you, so I just went to get some air, and it didn't take long for her to show up outside. She said that you had dumped her and asked her to tell me that you would take a little longer on the inside, because you were already with someone else. Obviously I didn't believe it, but she said I could see it with my own eyes so I went back in and saw you with the detective, you guys seemed to be getting along and once again I didn't want to mess things up. I simply went out and said I was going home, she said it would be dangerous to walk alone in Mystic Falls — Lizzie and rolled her eyes, then continued — I did not think she was dangerous, so I agreed to have some company. In the middle of the way she said she needed to go somewhere first, that's when she took me to the bridge and asked for my cell phone, I gave it too her and she just called you and said all those things. That's when I realized what was really happening. When she hung up I tried to fight her and run away, but I didn't succeed.

— So you almost had a date with the person who kidnapped you? — I said and she laughed, obviously I said it to relax and make her forget about the bad side of this story for a little while.

— Shut up. It was not me who was all smiles to Detective Park at Mystic Grill — She said and I lightly slap her arm.

I remembered the way Penelope made me look like a fool back then, and I remained silent for a few minutes, Lizzie realized it, but she didn't make any more questions. Our relationship had improved a lot, we had grown tired of so many unnecessary fights, we realized that our connection was much stronger than anything futile that could be between us. 

She accepted who I am and I accepted who she was, so we did not invade each other's space and that was the wisest decision to make because of our history of breaking or setting things on fire. We didn't touch that subject anymore, she simply put her arm over me and then fell asleep. I tried so hard to block any kind of thought and closed my eyes, asking all the higher beings in the universe to let me sleep and forget about that day.

 _11:00 am._ I almost jump out of bed when I see what time it is, but then I remembered that I wouldn't have to work on that day. It would be Lukas' funeral, probably in the late afternoon, and I promised Lizzie to go with her. I looked to the side and she was no longer in bed. I got up lazily and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a long shower.

— I ordered some food, I woke up a short time ago and, honestly, today I just want to stay all afternoon on the couch watching some movie — Lizzie said when I got to the kitchen. She had her hair in a ponytail and pajamas on. She sat on the couch holding a plate of food and then fixed her eyes to the TV.

I was wearing only a flowery fabric shorts and a white tank top, my hair was tied in a ponytail as well. I passed her on the couch and went to the kitchen, to get my food. Soonly enough, I sat next to her and tried to finish chewing the food I had already in my mouth.

— Ew, ogress — Lizzie complained and I just turned to her and showed my tongue. — It's dirty here. — She said pointing to my nose, I tried to clean it up and she laughed. — It's just your clown nose — I punched her in the arm and continued to eat, while she looks for some movie to watch. We had all afternoon, after all, and neither of us wanted to talk about the previous day, not now.

 _4:45 p.m._ We were almost ready to go to the poor young man's funeral, Lizzie was in her room finishing her outfit and I was just finishing my hair. I let it loose, falling over my shoulders. I wore skinny pants, a black sneaker and a gray turtleneck with long sleeves. I was finally ready. I left my room and Lizzie was already near the door wearing black pants and a black shirt with long sleeves and a thin high heel of the same color. Her hair was still tied on a ponytail, and her countenance was calm, but I could feel some of her sadness, after all, it was one of her students. 

We had moved here a short time ago, but Lizzie always showed great affection for the students and it was very beautiful, her enthusiasm made me happy. Today she wasn't enthusiastic. I got closer to her and gave her a little hug, we didn't have to say anything at the moment, I understood her silence, she went through something terrible yesterday, twice, on the same day. We left the apartment and headed for the cemetery where the funeral would take place.

 _5:20 p.m._ It was cold, it wasn't dusk still, and some people were already crowding beside the pit made to have the coffin with Lukas' body. It had been years since Lizzie and I had set a foot on this graveyard. The last time was in our mother's death, which was the last straw to leave Mystic Falls. Our father couldn't bear the pain of losing his love. We couldn't bear to lose him and ended up coming back here. 

Our biological mother died soon after our birth and our father took a few years to recover, when he finally succeeded, he lost our stepmother as well. Unfortunately, this love wasn't reciprocated. They spent years together, but it turns out that they weren't meant for each other, and Caroline decided to get separated as soon as she realized it. Our father couldn't take so many losses. First his wife, right after his daughters' birth, and then he loses one of the only things that kept his sanity, Caroline. She was a vampire. Funny, isn't it? He hunted vampires and fell in love with one. 

To this day I wonder if I am cursed to see all the people I love die. With each death I lost some of me and it was only increased when I saw the suffering of my sister over those losses, we were broken. Each one of us found a way to try to get things together. Some fires and broken rooms were needed for that, until finally we realized that we needed to put our past aside and face our fears, that's when we decided to return to Mystic Falls.

I held Lizzie's arm and approached the rest of the people there, some school teachers and the principal were present, all of them with sad countenances which is completely understandable. We greeted everyone and soon after we went to give our condolences to the parents of the young man. They were devastated. The woman held a picture of her son as if it were the last memory she had of him and the man had an impenetrable expression, but it was possible to feel his sadness from afar. I couldn't help but feel bad seeing all this, the suffering caused by that family is remarkable.

I felt my body paralyze a little when I noticed a certain person with short hair and green eyes coming toward Lukas' parents. She wore a black tank top, denim jacket, and jeans as well. The badge hanging around her neck as if it was a part of her. Her countenance was indecipherable, she seemed to be ignoring me, not only she did seem, she really ignored me. Her gaze did not cross mine even once. She tried to smile when she gave her condolences to the couple. Soon afterwards she went to meet the other cops that were also there.

— You could be more discreet. Close your mouth — Lizzie said when we were away from the couple and back with the school staff. Some students also showed up.

— What are you talking about?

— Don't be a fool. Go talk to her.

— I don't think she wants to talk to me, trust me — I said, and gave her that look, asking her not to talk about that anymore, which she did so. The funeral was not very long, the boy's parents couldn't speak much, the tears prevented them from doing it. Alyssa spoke a few words and I could hear her heart racing. As soon as they buried the coffin, some flowers were placed near the tombstone, and the people there gave their last farewell to Lukas. Lizzie's eyes were reddish, I held her arm a little harder to say I was there with her for anything, she simply put her hand over mine and rested her head on my shoulder.

We headed to our mother's grave, stood there for a few minutes, staring at it without saying a word. Her name was written on the tombstone: Josette Saltzman. Some flowers had grew around the tomb. A tear escaped my eyes, Lizzie noticed it and gave me a side hug, squeezing my shoulder; she also had tears in her eyes. We didn't get to know our biological mother, but our father told us so many good things about her, showed us her photographs... we clung to his image of her. When the graveyard was almost empty we realized that it was time to go, everyone was already leaving. We started to follow our way back home. I tried to find the detective around us, but apparently she was gone. I felt a twinge of disappointment and I think I didn't hide it very well.

— Go after her — Lizzie said as she let go of my arm and stopped in front of me.

— I told you, she will not talk to me — I tried to walk again, but Lizzie stopped me.

— Look, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but you keep looking for her and almost now you tried to find her with your eyes, and when you didn't see her, you had that stray dog face on — She said and I tried to say something. My mouth just opened, but the words didn't came.

— I don't even know where she lives or where she might be — I said with my arms crossed and Lizzie rolled her eyes.

— Hey, MG! Come here for a minute, please — She shouted and I looked back as Milton Greasley came toward us.

— Hi, girls, how can I help? — He sounded nice.

— Do you know where Detective Park might be? My sister here needs to speak with her. It's urgent — She said and my face turned red involuntarily, I rolled my eyes. Why does my sister need to be so insistent?

— Of course, she works with my father at the police station. If she's not there, she's probably at the gym next door, I've heard my father complaining over and over that she practically lives in that gym — He said. That must be why she looks so good, I thought, and then I blamed myself for it.

— Thank you for the help, MG, but I'm not going after her, just forget about it, Lizzie — I said, irritated, and MG stared at us without understanding a thing.

— You will, and don't worry, Milton will take me home, won't you, MG? — She said and didn't expect any response neither from him nor from me, she just walked out of the graveyard, pulling MG by the arm and leaving me alone.

 _6:45 p.m._ Since Lizzie left me alone in the graveyard, I forced myself to walk from there to the police station thanking all the saints for Mystic Falls not to be such a big city and therefore not to have establishments being far away from one another. The mist that was formed in the cemetery gave me shivers, I tried to avoid any macabre thought, keep it away from my mind, and started to walk away, wanting to get out of that place as soon as possible. 

It was still cold, my arms were crossed, even though I had a coat on, I could still feel the cold wind hit my body causing me shivers. It had already darkened, what made me walk even faster, but that didn't stop me from admiring the moon. It was brighter than ever which made it even more beautiful.

I arrived at the police station building and it took me a few minutes to get the courage to go there and see the detective. It was a large building with a very old but well maintained structure. My stomach was wrapping up more and more with every step I took up the stairs. When I got to the door, before I could open it, it popped open and a man looking really alike MG came out of there, a tall black man with a mustache. Probably Milton's father. He wore a Sheriff outfit and I could see his name written beneath his badge, Terrance Greasley.

I smiled at him and apologized, since I ended up hitting him with the fright I took when the door opened.

— Can I help you? — He asked nicely, but seemed to be hurrying and worried at the same time.

— Oh, sorry, I'm looking for Detective Penelope Park — I said a little awkwardly.

— She's not here, but you can find her on the gym right there — He pointed to the other building on the left side of the police station and I thanked him for the help. He left so quickly that I suppose he didn't hear when I thanked him. I sighed and walked to the gym, it seemed empty. The building was smaller than the one with the police station, painted gray and much newer.

I started to walk to the door and knocked it a few times, no answer. I knew she was there, I could hear her heartbeat and her accelerated breath. I knocked a few more times, again, nothing. I thought it was a sign that she didn't want to be bothered. I turned around to go away, but something made me try again. Where was my pride? Dead, definitely.

— Penelope, I know you're there — I said after knocking again and I heard some unhappy sounds coming from within. — This is the last time I'll ask you to open it — I sighed frustrated. — _"Dissera portus"_ — The door opened and the gym was empty, except for the presence of the dark-haired brunette, with her hair tied in a ponytail, who is now standing next to a boxing bag, dressed in black leggings, sneakers and a black cropped, with an unpleasant expression.

— You know I can arrest you for it, don't you? — She said after long seconds of silence. I closed the door behind me, but I didn't approach, her expression remained the same.

— In my defense, I knocked before and, look, there's nothing broken — I said pointing to the door and she rolled her eyes.

— It could have been if you used your strength — She said harshly.

— But I didn't. Look, I just wanna understand why you went out like that yesterday.

— Wasn't that clear? I don't want to be around creatures... like you — her words hit me like a punch in my face and I literally didn't know how to react.

— You sound like all vampires are bad, and I'm not just a vampire, I'm a witch too. What's the matter with that?

— Aren't they all bad? Are you going to tell me that you never killed anyone for sheer pleasure, just to satiate your hunger for blood? — She said, now coming closer, and my heart almost stopped.

— I... I... that's beside the point! You don't know what it's like to lose control of yourself!

— You're right, I only know what it's like to lose someone because of someone who has no control! — She said with such anguish that I could feel her heart beating faster, her eyes seemed to be swollen, there was a lot of anger accumulated inside her.

— I'm so sorry.

— Just go away — She shrugged and walked back to the boxing bag. She started giving it punches and kicks as if she was taking all the rage out of her body. I couldn't move, even though she told me to leave, something in her caught my attention and I just didn't understand why, I barely knew her and she had done a lot so that should be enough for me to not want to look her in the face anymore. But I didn't leave. Once again, I killed my pride.

— Okay, fight me — I said approaching her and stopping the boxing bag with my hand, for a moment she faced me without understanding it.

— I told you to leave.

— But I didn't. Come on, fight me.

— I don't want to.

— Are you afraid of losing, Park? — I said, teasing. Her frustration seemed to increase for a second.

— I'm not going to fight a vampire — She said the word "vampire" as if it were poison to her mouth, but I try not to be affected by it, as I said, my pride was already dead. I simply ignored her comment and threw my coat aside and then took off my sneaker. I lean in front of her and push her back, her body staggering back a little.

— I won't use my supernatural strength, I promise.

Her response didn't come, instead of doing it, she simply rolled her eyes and came towards me. First, she tried to punch me with her right arm in the face, but I turned away and turned around, putting my body behind hers and giving her a sleeper hold, she didn't take long to escape. She elbowed me away and I let go of her body. Again she came to attack me, this time she punched me from the bottom up, causing me to become unbalanced. My lip was bleeding, but soon it healed.

I blocked the next punches she was trying to give me. I was not going to attack her to hurt her, she needed to vent that anger somehow and, well, I didn't mind being the punching bag. I've done it so many times with Lizzie that sometimes I end up thanking myself for being a vampire and healing fast. She saw that I was not attacking her as I should, and I'm sure it only frustrated her more and more. She whispered some spell and slammed me to the ground. Okay, that really hurt.

— Hey, I said I was not going to use my force against you.

— You said it, I didn't promise anything — She said with a smirk on her face, looking more relaxed.

I jumped up and began to reciprocate the attacks, I was almost beginning to sweat. She really knew how to fight, but I also knew, it was one of the many things my father taught me before he died. I was able to immobilize her arm and then made a sweep blow, causing her to fall on the floor with her belly up. She ended up pulling me with her and we fell, face to face.

I could smell her scent, her green eyes seemed darker, her breath was racing and I felt her heart beating in a hurry against mine. My body was in contact with hers and I was feeling my stomach twist and my breathing fail a little. I let my guard down and she took that moment to hold my arms and force her body up, switching our positions. My back collided with the ground and now she was the one who was pinning me. I couldn't stop staring at her.

I came back to reality when I heard a ring of a cell phone. She seemed to also get out of that bubble and got up quickly going towards a backpack that was next to one of the equipment of the academy. She took the phone from her bag. I didn't hear her conversation, I preferred not to invade her privacy. I got up from the floor and she didn't take long on the phone, then hung up and came back.

— Something important? — I asked, her expression was cold again.

— Nothing that concerns you — She spoke, but then seemed to think better, took a deep breath, and continued. — There has been another attack, I've just been informed. Apparently, your name is off the suspects list since you were here — She said, getting her stuff.

— Can I help you somehow? — I asked.

— Don't worry about it, let me do my job. And please do not look for me anymore, we're not friends, we will never be — Penelope said, at last, and left.

I put my sneaker on and took my coat again, making my way to the door. I killed every piece of dignity I had inside my body going after her, but I won't do it again. Penelope reminded me of everything I was trying to forget, my whole past seemed to come back like a haunting to every word she had uttered against me.

Her hate for vampires seemed to be ancient, it was like a wound that would never heal and her work as a detective didn't seem to help heal this hate she created within herself, especially with these attacks going on. Her face changed completely when she received the phone call, as if a trigger had been activated inside her. But that were her ghosts, I couldn't take this fight for me, even though I felt I should help in some way, it was not my fight.

I really didn't want to get in trouble, but in the second week I set foot in Mystic Falls, my sister was kidnapped and the city's detective already hates me. I walked back home trying to organize my thoughts, but I couldn't let the news out of my head. The only thing I could do when I got home was to take a shower and then lie down and, once again, I could not sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please show me your opinions about this au, i really need to know if you guys are enjoying it or not!! 
> 
> Hope you like the story!!! Any doubts that you may have, you can leave on the comments below or talk to me on Twitter (@wearpy).


	4. Forget everything I said

**Narrator's POV**

Penelope almost ran out of the gym and headed to the police station, taking only her coat and badge. The detective entered one of the police cars along with her partner, Landon Kirby. An expression on the face of the curly-haired boy, who had green eyes, already said a lot about what had happened: another vampire attack. As always. And again, the victim was a man, he told Penelope as soon as she got in the car and stared at him. There was a pattern in those attacks.

— Age?

— 24 — The boy said turning the car on and driving to where the crime took place.

— Was he from here?

— Yes, he was from Kepner's family. Their son.

— I can't repeat it all day after day. A new victim appears, we find out it was not an animal attack and again Sheriff Greasley ends the investigation and doesn't let us finish our job.

— He knows we're no match for a vampire.

— I am! I'm sick of it. I had to deal with the family of the other kid who died, I honestly can't stand it anymore. These creatures get away with no guilt in everything they do — Penelope said, putting her hands in her hair and resting her elbows on her knees. She had no options and she knew it. It would be the same thing as always, she felt useless and lacking the strength to carry on with it. Every month or even every week there was a different victim, a different family to deal with and always the same lie. 

Landon put his hand on the back of his partner trying to comfort her, the boy already knew that Penelope takes some cases personally, and that affected her a lot. He also could not feel good lying to all civilians about those attacks.

— Pen, you can't risk it like that, we're already doing our part.

— We just do the same repetitive work, Landon. We see the victim practically with the neck torn apart and we insist to say it was an animal attack, even knowing what kind of animal did it — The dark-haired girl said, looking through the car window, her gaze as distant as her thoughts.

— We're here — Landon said, parking the car next to a tree. The crime scene had already been interdicted and only the two of them could enter the place, besides the doctors. Penelope left the car in frustration and she didn't know what to do with the whole situation. She zippered up her coat because the cold already sent shivers to her body. 

The victim's body was lying next to a bench, they were in one of the Parks of Mystic Falls. His neck was soaked with blood and the classic tooth marks were there too. Penelope rolled her eyes and approached the scene. She and Landon made a good team when they solved cases that could go public. There were few people passing by, they tried to talk to as many people as possible, but apparently no one remembered seeing anything.

— The usual — Penelope says raising her hands and grunting in frustration after speaking to the last witness.

— We need to pass it on to Sheriff Greasley — Landon said taking his gloves off and adjusting his curly hair soon after. Penelope pulled off her gloves and leaned against the hood of the car, llowering the zipper of her coat a little and taking a deep breath.

— I'll do it tomorrow morning — She said, finally, and entered the car waiting for her partner to do the same. They left and the last thing Penelope saw was the boy's body being placed inside a black sack and then put inside the ambulance.

Landon left Penelope at home, and she thanked him for it. She felt increasingly powerless in the current situation of Mystic Falls, the city was infested with vampires and innocent people were dying. The green-eyed girl stepped into the house and made her way to the bathroom, letting her thoughts flow with the drops of water on her body.

She couldn't let the situation get worse, she had to do something, she took an oath to protect the civilians and she intended to fulfill that at all costs. If Sheriff Greasley did nothing about the attacks, she would.

 

The morning in Mystic Falls was sunny, but the weather was not unbearable, what allowed Penelope to wear only her black jeans as usual and a regatta over. Her cothurnus and the badge also couldn't miss. She let out a long sigh as she finished tidying her hair in front of the mirror and then headed out of the house taking the leather jacket from the sofa. It would be a long day and she knew it. Her mind racing and it couldn't go slower. Josie had messed up so much going after her at that gym, she really tried to get things right with Penelope, but that would never be possible, at least that's the way the green-eyed girl thought.

Landon was outside the house waiting for his partner. The boy's hair was still wet from the recent bath and he wore a green T-shirt with a jacket on and jeans. He got in the car and Penelope did the same. He knew she was not into morning talk and respected that. Because of what happened yesterday, when he saw the dark-haired girl so upset about that crime scene, he decided to stop by her house to get her. They had been friends since Penelope became a detective a year ago. Landon put on some music on the car while they went to the police station on another morning's work. The path was not long, it took only ten minutes.

Penelope leaned her elbow near the car door and rested her head on the seat, her eyes racing through Mystic Falls High School, which was in the way to the police station, and two girls walked side by side on the street. The Saltzman sisters. Penelope couldn't avoid looking at them, Elizabeth was wearing a high waist skirt and a silk blouse, her hair loose and the briefcase with her supplies in her hand. Josie's hair was in a ponytail and she wore a dark blue dress that really highlighted her curves, not that the detective was noticing it, at least not that she would admit it.

Josie turned her face away for a moment and her brown eyes met a pair of greenish eyes, but the contact didn't last. Josie's face turned aside completely ignoring the gaze that came from the car and that was checking on her. Penelope turned her attention to any other thing, and ignored any unnecessary thoughts that would come to her mind at the moment. Landon seemed amused by the music that was playing, and didn't notice the sigh of frustration that the dark-haired girl let escape.

The movement in the police station was not a surprise, a new attack was a synonymous to more work. Sheriff Greasley was sitting in his room drinking his coffee as usual, the other policemen were at their desks, and some were pacing as the phone rang. The name of the victim had not yet been revealed to the media, the sheriff would do it on that day, and people were worried since the news had already been spread by the city newspaper. 

Penelope was tired of the sheriff's indifference to the chaos that Mystic Falls was becoming, it was a shame for the city's police name to have such an irresponsible sheriff. The black tall man kept his back turned to the office door so Penelope didn't bother to just walk into his office and throw the briefcase with the information of the case and the suspects on the sheriff's desk, causing him to get a little scared with the noise made by the briefcase bumping into the table. He turned and saw the impatient woman in front of him with an unpleasant countenance.

— I'd appreciate it if you knock on the door next time, Detective Park — He said without an expression, putting his mug on the table and picking up the briefcase. Penelope ignored the warning and continued waiting for him to read the documents. — Unfortunately that's not enough to start an in-depth investigation.

— Oh, it never is. How many people still have to die for you to do something about it?

— If I were you, I'd never talk to me this way again, I'm still your superior.

— Right. Sorry — She spoke with a mocking face and took a deep breath trying to swallow her frustrations. — You can't ignore what is happening here, we have a duty to protect the civilians, we must honor our oath. We need to punish whoever is guilty of these murders.

— We don't have enough evidence, you know how this works. I will speak to the press this afternoon announcing another episode of animal attack, don't worry, I'll also talk to the victim's family myself — He said as if telling the boy's family about what happened would ease the situation. The green-eyed girl was only more frustrated by the sheriff's attitude, but she knew there was nothing more she could do there. 

Torrance Greasley was once a renowned sheriff, he's done a lot for Mystic Falls but Penelope thought his time at the police station was over, he was no longer able to work. She said no more to the man, simply picked up the briefcase again and left the sheriff's office.

— Hey, where are you going? — The curly-haired boy asked as Penelope headed for the police station door.

— I'm going to do the rounds, there's nothing to do here — She said and left without waiting for an answer.

Josie walked quietly with her sister to go to work, the conversation was not at all exciting, the brunette's mind was still stunned by all the events, but she appreciated the fact that her sister didn't talk about it. She simply didn't want to hear the detective's name anymore. As a result of the mental request she made about not hearing about a certain green-eyed girl, fate decided to play with her and the second she turned her gaze to the street she met Penelope's eyes. As soon as she did, she cut off the contact.

The blonde didn't seem to notice how Josie's body shuddered at the brief eye contact and kept talking about how she planned the day's classes. Lizzie was trying in every way to make Josie feel comfortable and trying her best not to bring up the subject that her sister had been ignoring since yesterday.

— I love talking, you know, but if I wanted to talk to myself I wouldn't be here trying to have a decent talk with you —The blonde talks when they both arrived at school and headed to their respective classrooms. Josie's room was just across the room where Lizzie would teach, so the two continued to walk side by side, another reason why Josie could not escape the conversation with the blonde girl.

— Sorry, I'm just not in the mood to talk.

— When are you? How much longer will you ignore this subject, Josette? — Lizzie stopped by the door of the room and stared at the brunette who rolled her eyes and shrugged.

— Lizzie, just leave me alone — The brunette said entering the room and her face changed totally when she gave good morning to her students, Lizzie watched for a few seconds and she was sure that the smile presented by the girl with brown eyes to your class was totally false. The blue-eyed one sighed for failing in another attempt to get her sister to open with her and entered her classroom talking to the students.

At lunchtime, Josie did her best to avoid her sister, but ended up at a table with her and the other teachers, including Milton Greasley, who she made sure of selecting as a shield-against-Lizzie, putting him between her and her sister at the dining table. The black boy was definitely not understanding the whole situation, but he tried to pull off a civil conversation with them. The mood of the school was not so different from Monday, sad faces could be seen here and there for what happened to one of the students, but everyone tried to go back to their routines, it was the right thing to do.

— So... did I already tell you about how your sister almost ran off when she saw a frog near the entrance to your home? — Milton said and Lizzie looked at him with a sulky countenance and he laughed at the girl.

— I didn't run, I was just a little scared! It was clearly trying to attack me! — She defended herself.

— Of course. The poor fellow just stepped forward, Lizzie.

— Yes! He gave the first lunge, he was in position to attack — The blonde again defended herself and Josie couldn't help but laugh at how stupid that conversation was and how pathetic the scene should have been.

— I believe in MG. Shame on you, Lizzie, you've fought more dangerous things. I expected more from you, sis — She said in a joking tone and Lizzie showed the middle finger to her sister, who faked an offended face. The conversation continued lively as the three finish their meals.

— You know about the party at Friday? — MG spoke while the three were already on their feet discarding the dirty lunch dishes. Josie and Lizzie synchronously rolled their eyes and the almond-eyed boy stared at them in confusion.

— The party that Hope Mikaelson is throwing? I'd rather not know — Lizzie said.

— Do you know her yet? — Mg asked.

— Kinda. We heard about her history here in the city, we prefer not to stay close — Josie spoke without revealing the real reason for their anger over the tribride.

— Her parties are the best, believe me. Her mansion is huge and it has an big pool, seriously, you should go with me. There's no harm in it.

— Excuse me, MG, but we skip the invitation —Josie said before Lizzie could say anything.

— Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know, I can take you in my car — The boy said goodbye to both of them and went to the teachers' room. Josie didn't wait for her sister, went to the opposite side, going to take her last classes.

The rest of the day seemed to have gone by in slow motion for Josie. Teaching her classes wasn't tiring, she loved her job and her students were great, but that day was just not one of her best days. She hated it when she was like this, usually she always tried to see the positive side of things and not be upset about the negative side, but not everything was like she wanted and there were days she would have to allow herself to not feel well, so she isolated herself of any social contact because it was not in her capacity to vent with others. Her problems were only her own problems and she wouldn't give up easily.

On the way out of school, Josie said goodbye to some classmates and students, Lizzie was right behind her. MG offered to ride the two of them home and they didn't refuse it, they got into the co-worker's car and went home, the ride was fast and soon they were already at home. Lizzie put her supplies on the table and followed Josie to her room, she would not give up on having a decent talk with her sister. She knew what happened when she closed it up and accumulated repressed feelings. The blonde entered the room of the brunette and stood near the door facing her sister.

— Are you going to spend the rest of the day standing there? — Josie asked, breaking the silence while taking off the dress and taking a towel.

— Are you going to avoid this? Like yesterday? I respected the day of yesterday, even because we went to see our mother's grave and it was already something too sore. But I will not leave you alone until we have a decent talk.

— Lizzie, I already said I don't want to talk about it, there's nothing to talk about and you know it.

— Of course there is, Josette, you can't ignore the fact that yesterday was one year of our father's death! — The blonde said. She was exalted a little. Josie shifted her gaze to the floor, not having enough words to fight back and argue with her. She didn't want to talk about her father's death, she didn't want to remember it, and most importantly: she didn't want to remember what happened later. — You can't swallow every feeling drug, one hour you'll explode!

— I don't need to talk about it, Elizabeth, not everyone likes to whimper. Now, please, get out of my room!— The brunette said pointing to the door and without waiting for her sister to leave her room, she entered the bathroom and locked the door. Lizzie was paralyzed for a few moments, trying to process her sister's attitude. She knew Josie didn't like to talk about their father's death, but that was already over the top, every anniversary of his death she was entering a dark place and Lizzie was frightened by it. 

She might not have been Josie's best sister in her teens, but the losses of her loved ones made her value her relationship with her sister even more. There was no longer anything to be done, she just gave up trying to talk to Josie about it, at least for that day. The blonde left Josie's room and headed toward her own room.

Shortly after taking her bath, Josie put on pajamas and laid down on her bed, asking to sleep as fast as possible and wake up the other day. One of these desires came true. She managed to sleep, but she woke up a few hours later. She grunted in frustration as she stared at the ceiling of the room. She knew she couldn't sleep anymore. The clock was marking exactly ten o'clock at night.

The brunette got up from the bed and went to her wardrobe taking the first clothes she saw, a pair of gray sweatpants and a white short-sleeved T-shirt. She put on her sneakers and grabbed a coat, then left the room and left the house, before doing it she looked around the room and the kitchen, but didn't find her sister in any of them, she was probably sleeping. Josie shrugged and left the apartment.

Using her super speed she arrived the clock tower of Mystic Falls as fast as a blink of an eye. The building was tall and its color was orange with white finishes, there was hardly anyone around, just a few people at the Mystic Grill and only there. She went to the Mystic Grill and bought a box of beer and some snacks. She could be sleepy, but not hungry, ever. When she returned to the front of the tower she looked around and saw no one, so she just jumped up holding the bag of things and sat on the roof of that tower.

The sky was clear, which made it possible for her to see each star in that darkness. Josie needed to put her thoughts in place and there was no better place than that, on her second day back to Mystic Falls she came in the same place, it was quiet, there was no one to bother her and she could admire the sky for how many hours she wanted. In that day she didn't want conflicts, she simply wanted to eat and drink in peace without having to worry about the next shit that could happen in her life.

The brown-eyed girl picked up one of the beers and opened it, then put her playlist shuffling and leaned more against the roof of the tower. Her thoughts were a mixture of melancholy as she recalled her father's death that, even after a year, still hurt her so much and anger when she remembered how her sister and herself were just pieces in the fight between Hope Mikaelson and Penelope Park.

Something inside her told her that this was far from over and that didn't please her at all. The possibility of having her new life there in Mystic Falls disturbed wasn't something to consider, she just wanted to live her life in peace away from trouble, with her sister, but trouble seemed to always find them again as if it were some kind of punishment and she wouldn't think it wrong if it really was, her sins will always chase her, she needed to accept it.

Josie was already in her third beer when she heard a noise coming from the back of the clock tower, she turned to see what had caused the noise and saw a silhouette almost known in the tower. The short-haired girl hadn't noticed that Josie was on that roof yet, only realized when she lifted her face and started to walk to the edge of the roof.

Their eyes met for the second time on the same day, this time Josie didn't cut the contact, her eyes dropped to analyze the girl's lower part, she wore only a pair of black sweatpants and a dark green long-sleeved T-shirt. She was holding a box of beer. Apparently they both had the same plans. Josie saw Penelope's face and it didn't look inviting at all, so she started to get up and collect her things.

— Sorry, I didn't know there was anyone here — The detective said, stepping back. — I'm leaving.

— Don't worry, I was just leaving — Josie said without expressing any emotion in her face, which caused a pang of concern in Penelope. She had finally stopped to look directly at the taller girl, her hair was messy, but not in an ugly way, on the contrary, and her face was a little red. Penelope swallowed her pride, at least for that night, and approached the girl.

— I think we can share the roof for tonight — She said sitting down and placing the things she carried with her. Josie was still standing, analyzing the chances of the night getting worse. She was too tired to argue, so she just put her things back in place and laid down again without keeping any kind of contact with the other girl at her side. — I didn't know you liked James Young — Penelope spoke by noticing the song that played on the girl's phone. Josie took a while to associate the words of the other to that and when she looked at the cell phone, it was playing _Dark Star by James Young._

— I didn't know you knew him — Josie still didn't look at Penelope. The green-eyed girl sat a few paces away from the other, with a beer in her hand, and the other was propped against the roof as her legs were stretched out. She had had such a long day and the only thing she could think of after all, was to come to her favorite place in Mystic Falls and have her beer with no one to upset her.

— Hey, I have good taste in music.

— So, technically, you're saying I have it, too? Wow, that's the coolest thing you ever said to me in less than 72 hours we met — Josie said in a tone of irony.

— I don't take anything I said back, but today I just don't want fights. I've had enough.

— Good, I don't want it too.

— Great.

— Great — Josie said, rolling her eyes and Penelope gave her a little smile, but then she tried to hide it and turn her attention to the empty street of Mystic Falls. — Do you come here often?

— Are you using a cheesy pick-up line?

— Oh, my God, no! I ... I didn't mean it. - The taller girl gestures a little irritably and Penelope laughs a little. — You understood! You know what? Forget it — She said, opening her fourth beer and taking almost everything in one gulp.

— Take it easy, you're going to end up falling off this roof because you're too drunk.

— Did you forget I'm a vampire? I don't get drunk easily. Don't worry.

— No, I didn't. - Penelope's expression changed only for hearing the word "vampire". Josie saw it, but didn't say anything, she wouldn't try to force Penelope to anything, her words still hurt her. — I always come here when I need to put my thoughts in place, when I want to forget the world around me and when I simply want to drink until I fall without disturbing anyone. Since I was a teenager I come here, it's my favorite place — Josie was surprised to hear the detective's confession. But she didn't complain, it was a breakthrough in a way.

— I came here on the second day I moved here, I was too young when I left the city, I don't think we were four years old yet, but this was one of the few places I remembered. My father used to bring Lizzie and I to the park straight away and tell us stories of him with our mother. Everything here reminded him of her, so he couldn't stand it and we moved — The taller girl talked and Penelope just listened quietly, the shorter one realizing that Josie's mother was dead, but she didn't ask anything so she wouldn't trigger the other girl, she just let her talk what she needed. Today they were not enemies. Maybe tomorrow. — It doesn't matter, in the end he also died. In fact, he took his own life drowning in resentments and in the past. I don't know why Lizzie insists so much on wanting me to talk about him today, just because yesterday was a year of his death? I don't need to talk to anyone about it — Josie said and Penelope looked at her, realizing how she treated her yesterday, knowing that she was probably just being kind and didn't deserve that treatment. But Penelope was a stubborn and wouldn't give her arm to cheer, Josie was still a vampire, so she turned her attention to the street and continued to hear the taller girl. — I love him, but he just abandoned us just like our stepmother, like all the other people in our lives — She seemed to speak more to herself than to the girl at her side, and Josie seemed to have taken a load off her back as she unbuttoned all those words, maybe she really needed to talk about it, but it shouldn't be with the detective.

She realized she had let her barriers fall to one of the people who clearly hated her.

Penelope didn't understand the attitude of the brown-eyed girl who came closer and was then only centimetres away from the detective. Penelope could see the color of her eyes and every specific detail of her face, her nose, her messy hair, her eyebrows... her mouth. Josie's eyes widened and Penelope didn't look away.

— I shouldn't have said any of this to you, I know you hate me for what I am so you'd better forget about it. Forget that you found me here, forget everything I said —The tallest girl said and got up taking her things with her and down the tower.

 

Josie went home as fast as she could, and when she arrived she went straight to her sister's room, she knocked on the door, and when she didn't get an answer, she walked in and went to her sister's bed.

— I know you're not asleep — The brunette girl said, pushing her sister's body a little and lying down next to her.

— Did you drink? — The blonde one asked, she turned to Josie and Josie nodded. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

— I'm sorry. This subject is difficult for me, I will try not to run away from the conversations anymore. Can I sleep here today? — The brown-eyed girl asked and the blue-eyed girl just rolled her eyes and hugged her. They didn't say more about it but Lizzie knew her sister was being honest and that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONT FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE SOCIAL MEDIA OF THIS AU ON MY TWITTER OK? <3
> 
> Please show me your opinions about this au, i really need to know if you guys are enjoying it or not!!
> 
> Hope you like the story!!! Any doubts that you may have, you can leave on the comments below or talk to me on Twitter (@wearpy).


	5. If it's war you want, it's war you'll have

**Narrator's POV**

Josie was the first to get out of bed while her sister was still in deep dreams. The brunette looked at her watch and realized that she woke up thirty minutes earlier than usual, but she didn't go back to sleep, she got up from bed and took her shower normally. 

Her thoughts wandered into memories of the night before. She remembered how abruptly she left the roof, leaving Penelope behind after forced her to forget everything they had talked before. Being honest: everything Josie had told her.

Josie had never talked to anyone like that, anyone but her sister. It was like she had confessed her sins and taken away some of the weight she'd carried her whole life on her back, it frightened her. There were still so many things she needed to put out, as if she needed to vomit all the words and phrases swallowed up inside her, but she knew she couldn't be so vulnerable. She could not afford to knock down the walls she took so long to build, not to someone who clearly hates her.

The detective's gaze the night before was distant, as if she were in another world. She paid no attention to the words Josie said, she simply offered her ears while the girl unburdened in the white heat. But of course, she wouldn't remember anything and Josie was relieved by this, she hated to feel helpless. She was anything but helpless or "the victim" of her own story and she knew it.

Josie walked out of the bathroom and started dressing up, she wore a gray gown that was sleeveless and had a length that ended at the top of her knees. After getting ready, she went to the kitchen to prepare coffee for herself and for her sister who, at the moment she left the room, remained asleep. The brunette tied her hair just while she made the breakfast.

When she finished putting the food on the table, her sister's silhouette appeared in the bedroom door, still stretching and a lazy grunt was heard, but Lizzie was already fully dressed to go to work. Josie smiled at the blonde and said a little "good morning" that was answered with a smile from the highest girl while she was sitting on the chair next to the table. Josie put the last plate on the table and before sitting down she turned on the TV and left it on the morning news channel.

"... another body was found in Mystic Falls, this time in an alley next to Mystic Grill, apparently there are still no suspects and the victim hasn't yet been identified. The police talks of an alleged suicide, since the victim ingested drugs," - the male journalist's voice took over the place and both girls looked at the TV at the same time. An image of the victim's body appeared on the screen and Josie felt shivers running down her spine as she faced her sister, Lizzie's gaze was as worried as hers. There was a stake craved on the victim's chest and exposed veins that ran from the neck to the rest of the body. - Obviously it wasn't a suicide - Josie in the night before was practically next to where the victim was found. Her heart was throbbing a little faster than usual, but she tried to restrain herself since she was in front of her sister.

\- That's not an ordinary victim, that's a vampire! - Lizzie broke the silence.

\- I know. This time there is no way to accuse me.

\- Who could do such a thing? It seems like we are in war, every day someone is dead in this city...

\- I don't know, Lizzie. I have no idea who could've done this, but after it I'll have to be more careful going out. It's no longer enough to be a woman, I still have to be afraid to leave because they're killing vampires as well. There is certainly some hunter, and the way the victim was left is a warning. You know it - Josie said, rolling her eyes. Lizzie felt the weight on her sister's words. Even though Josie didn't say anything, Lizzie knew she was worried about this news.

\- You know what? We need to do something to distract us from all that is happening in the city, and I think I know what can help us with that - The blonde one said, with a smirk on her face. Josie was already wondering what her sister was going to say next.

\- No! I'm not going to that party - Josie said getting up from the table and going towards the sink to leave the used dish. - You shouldn't even think about going there, after what she did to you.

\- We hardly ever left the house after we moved in, nothing interesting has happened in this city for ages! I talked to MG yesterday and he said there's a lot going on at these parties, a lot of people going there, and they pretty much never see her.

\- Are you insane? The city is a chaos and you wanna go to a party, the party of the person who kidnapped you?

\- The past is in the past, Josette. I still hate her, but it doesn't mean that this will stop me from getting drunk for free at a party. Please don't be so stubborn, promise I won't leave you this time - Lizzie said approaching her sister and making a sad face as the brunette puffed in frustration, Josie knew she can't say "no" to her sister and she hated it. She also knew that, at the first opportunity, Lizzie would leave her alone at that party.

\- Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you when everything on this party goes awry.

\- We should be used to everything going wrong, right? At least this time we'll be too drunk to notice anything strange! - The blonde said, laughing a little and hugging her sister. Josie could only think that some shit might happen at this party. The brunette let go of her sister's arms and went to get her purse, soon after they left the apartment for another day's work.

 

The day went by happily, Josie gave all classes and told them about the work that would happen to the class the following week and as she said this, she heard angry mutters and she just laughed at the situation because she had spent much time in her life as a student.

Her classes were over and she found herself leaving school with her sister and their mutual friend, MG. It was no surprise that Lizzie had told him that they would go to Hope Mikaelson's party on Friday, that is tomorrow. The boy and the blonde greeted her with a smile on their face, both looked excited for the long-awaited party, but Josie couldn't get out of her mind that she would be getting into another problem.

The black boy once again gave the girls a ride to their apartment. MG was literally the definition of cuteness and chivalry, and Josie couldn't help but notice the way he looked at her sister, and the last one didn't deny his looks either.

\- Don't tell me you're going to this party to kiss MG? - Josie asked with a malicious face on as she closed the door of the apartment and watched her sister walk towards the room, but before entering she seemed to have finally understood Josie's phrase and returned to face her.

\- Of course not! MG is just my friend, and he invited both of us, did you forget?

\- Sure, sure, if you say so, I'll pretend I believe you - The brunette spoke, laughing, and the blonde threw a cushion at her, which only hit her hands because she lifted them before the cushion could touch her face. After that, Lizzie went to her room to take a shower and Josie did the same. The night was summed up in popcorn and movie marathon, this time Josie chose and Lizzie rolled her eyes when she saw her sister's choices: they were all rom coms.

 

Across the town the next morning, a female figure sat in the chair by her desk murmuring curses until someone touched her shoulder. Penelope had never hated her job, not for a second, but today, she couldn't help but think of resigning. Or she could just put some poison into Sherif Greasley's coffee mug, no one would suspect it.

When she felt the hand on her shoulder, she washed off any murderous thought from her head, and turned around meeting her best friend, pulling a chair and sitting down beside her.

\- Hey, what happened? I heard your screams from across the station.

\- The sheriff wants us to go to damn Mikaelson's party and be her private security guards, can you believe that? Damn, I'm a detective, Landon. I'm not a fucking particular cop, not for that f-

\- Hey, easy - The curly-haired boy still spoke with a hand on Penelope's shoulder. - I know it sucks, but look at the better side of it, we can intervene in anything she tries to do and we can still drink and eat for free! - Landon tried to find ways to cheer her up, but from her angry countenance, he could tell she couldn't see any good side to it.

\- If she tries to do something, I won't stop myself, Landon. I'm serious.

\- You can't let her ruin you like this, Pen. You're better than that, I know that. We'll go to this party and we'll do our job, but you have to promise to try to control yourself too - He spoke, and Penelope looked to her own hands. She couldn't promise anything, especially when she'd be near Hope Mikaelson. That party would be infested with vampires but, to be honest, that wouldn't be so bad for her, she would meet every single one of them. With that thought, Penelope lifted her head and offered the most false smile she could give her friend, clearly he knew it was false, but he wouldn't say anything.

\- Right - The short-haired girl said at last.

\- I saw you passed on the new case that came for Jake, why did you refuse? - Landon asked. Penelope swallowed hard, but turned to face her friend.

\- We already have many cases to take care of and still have this party, I thought it was best to pass this on - She said without any emotion and Landon understood the message: the conversation had ended there. The boy smiled at Penelope before leaving and returning to his desk, leaving the short-haired girl immersed in her own thoughts.

 

It was almost ten o'clock at night when the Saltzman's twins began packing to go to the party. Lizzie was overexcited and totally ignoring the fact that it was Hope Mikaelson who was throwing the party. Hope, the one who kidnapped her and used her as a bait to catch Detective Park's attention. Josie, on the other hand, was tense thinking of innumerable reasons not to go to this party. Not that she hated partying, let's face it, she loved to party. Well... at least her old self loved to, and had taken advantage of the best parties Los Angeles could offer. But in none of them there was the person who threatened her sister's life and who seemed to have enjoyed the situation.

As much as she tried to ignore all this and get a little excited about the party, she couldn't, but she tried to at least disguise how she felt about seeing her sister's excitement. Lizzie had extremely straight hair and a not so extravagant makeup on, she wore black boots and a white dress that looked like a blazer and fell perfectly over her body. Josie wore a red dress with a floral print, a beige high heel, and her hair was tied in a loose bun, which gave her a sensual and fluffy air at the same time.

The twins were ready, MG was already waiting for the two of them outside the building, he was driving a BMW and they both looked at each other wondering where he had gotten such a fancy car, given the fact that his car was actually just a Chevrolet Impala Limited, used. The black boy wore black pants and a red long-sleeved shirt, the sneakers had the same color as his shirt. His almond-shaped eyes fell on Lizzie, and Josie didn't miss it.

\- So are you going to tell us where did you got this car? - Josie asked, approaching him and taking him out of his drooling-for-lizzie-saltzman time, he smiled genuinely and before replying, greeted the two who smiled back at him.

\- My friend lent me, said I could get some girls driving a car like that - He said, and they both rolled their eyes at the old-fashioned thought. He got it. - But of course I don't agree with him, you know, I'm in favor of the feminist movement and everything. I just wanted to drive this beauty here - He said, trying to explain himself and made the girls laugh at his little euphoria by practically hugging the hood of the car. The boy opened the car door for them to enter and soon after he did the same.

Hope Mikaelson's mansion wasn't so far away, it was just past the lake and just a little way out of the city center. It was a huge property for a single person to live in, but Hope liked luxury, no one could deny it. It didn't take more than fifteen minutes for them to reach the property of Satan himself, as Lizzie thought. Finally the girls could see almost the whole length of that mansion. Just inside the entrance was a black Ferrari parked with a large "M" drawn on both doors.

The whole property looked rustic and modern at the same time, the mansion's roof seemed to be made of stone and wood, there was still a fireplace in the middle of the entrance to the house. The windows were of glass and some walls were too, which made it possible to see part of the rooms from outside. There seemed to be a swimming pool in the back of the house, but she couldn't see where the girls were, MG just said it was huge and the parties always ended there.

When they finally parked, MG left the car first and opened the door for the twins with a small reverence, which made them laugh at the boy's gesture. There were already several cars parked around the house and the sound was loud enough. From the glass walls people could see that there were a good amount of people in the place.

The three of them entered the house and instantly were immersed by the loud music and the noise of random conversations. The interior of the house was jaw-dropping, there was a staircase to the second floor between the living room and the kitchen, and the walls were full of pictures. You couldn't see all the decor in that room because of the amount of people getting drunk and dancing there. In the living room there was a large space that was occupied by the DJ's desk and the rest was occupied by the dance floor. In the kitchen were practically hundreds of bottles of liquor, all alcoholic drinks and some snacks.

Billie Eillish's song _(You Should See Me In a Crown)_ began to fade and only the beats were heard, for a moment they all stopped and turned their attention to the stairs where Hope Mikaelson made her movie-worthy entrance, the twins rolled their eyes and prayed to be unnoticed by the tribride, but it was too late, Hope's smug look had already found them, and now she was coming toward them. MG pulled away from the girls a bit to talk to a friend and they exchanged glances, Josie looked at Lizzie as if she wanted to kill her for getting her into it.

\- Well, well, what a... pleasant surprise - Hope said with a smile on her face. She was wearing a jacket and red skirt along with a long-sleeved black shirt. Her hair was caught in a ponytail and her lips were being highlighted by a pretty red lipstick.

\- I didn't know I'd find the devil so soon - Lizzie said, folding her arms, and Hope just chuckled.

\- Well, you came to my house, did you really think you wouldn't find me here?

\- Not before I'm drunk enough to stand your presence.

\- Aw... is this all because of our date? I thought you had fun - Hope provoked her and Josie stepped forward with her fists clenched, but Lizzie put her arm in front of them. Lizzie wasn't going to be intimidated by Hope, it was enough humiliation not to be able to defend herself once, but this time she wasn't going to be helpless. Lizzie took a step closer to the lower girl.

\- I've had better dates - Lizzie said getting into that game but didn't wait for response, she left pulling Josie by the arm and heading towards the dance floor where MG was with a group of friends. - I need a drink.

\- I'll get us drinks, I'll try to find a bathroom first. I'll be back - Josie said, trying to escape from that cluster of people.

On the other side of the room, the short-haired girl maintained a serious posture and her arms crossed, while everyone danced in excitement, she analyzed each person present, except those who were too close to each other to be differentiated. The curly-haired boy came up with two glasses of drink and a smile on his face. Landon was wearing a red plaid T-shirt with a white shirt underneath, a pair of black jeans, and his beard was very well made.

\- Drinking while working? - He joked when Penelope picked up one of the glasses and drank almost all at once down her throat.

\- Rules were made to be broken - She said. - Sometimes - She completed and the boy laughed. - Can you tell me why you came so neat? You even shaved your beard! Don't tell me you still have that little crush on the damn Mikaelson.

\- What? No! - He said, gesturing his hands uncomfortably. Penelope obviously didn't believe him. - Oh, look who's talking! You seem to be going to some super important event. Looks like you came to impress someone - He said and Penelope rolled her eyes. She wore a pair of beige pants with a black long-sleeved blouse. Her hair was perfectly well done, with curves coming from the middle to its ends. - Wait, did you? To impress who? If you don't tell me, we can end this friendship here and now - He spoke, folding his arms and Penelope took the other glass from his hand and drank all the liquid that was there.

\- I think we need more drinks! - She said, getting away from him and disappearing into the midst of those people. She wasn't happy having to babysit those people, so whatever she could do to get out of that cluster of bodies she would do. The kitchen was crowded with people, so she just went in to put more drink in one of the glasses and headed for the stairs, maybe Hope Mikaelson had a loft full of hidden bodies, something that might incriminate her, what good would it be to have evidence against her... She was practically the law in Mystic Falls, untouchable, and Penelope hated it.

While Hope danced with a guy on the dance floor and at the same time feed herself from his neck, there were two people lost in the rooms of her mansion about to bump into each other. Lizzie was dancing with MG, now with a glass of drink in her hand, Josie had not appeared yet so she went to get her drink, after four full glasses she already felt the effect of the drink taking over her body, so she had to do something to take some of the alcohol out her body. Nothing better than ending up on the dance floor.

Penelope went upstairs and began to look each one of the rooms, there was a long corridor and all the doors were almost the same, only one at the end of the corridor had a much better finish than the others and an "M" even in the middle, pathetic - she thought. She went towards that room but was stopped by a body that collided with hers, causing her to be frightened and to hold the other person not to fall to the ground. When she looked up, she found a pair of brown eyes. They were a little surprised. Josie was just getting out of the bathroom when someone practically threw herself on top of her, when she saw who, her body froze and her mouth suddenly dried.

\- What are you doing here? - The detective asked a little more curiously than she should. Josie pulled herself away and tried to compose herself.

\- I was in the bathroom, what do you think I was doing? - Josie rolled her eyes and Penelope arched her eyebrows.

\- I don't know, people do a lot of things in the bathroom - The green-eyed girl said with a smirk.

\- I was just trying to get away from this party, the only place I could find unoccupied was the bathroom - Josie explained, and her shoulders dropped a little. - But what about you? I thought you hated Hope Mikaelson, why would you come to her party?

\- Because I've been obliged to - she said, showing her badge.

\- So shouldn't you be down there?

\- Shouldn't you take care of your own life?

\- Ouch, okay - Josie spoke, raising her hands, ready to leave when she saw Penelope looking towards the last door of the hall. - Wait, you're spying on her! - She spoke as if it were a great discovery.

\- Seriously, Sherlock? - Penelope cheered and expected no further response, only made her way back to what was supposed to be Hope's room. - Why are you following me? - She asks without turning around, she could feel the presence behind her. Josie didn't understand yet, but she felt there was something odd about Penelope and somehow, she couldn't stay away from the detective. Something about her wanted to prove to Penelope that she wasn't a bad person, the disgust she felt for vampires upset Josie and she couldn't understand why.

\- Because I have nothing better to do - Josie now spoke next to Penelope. The short-haired girl snorted irritably and Josie just shrugged, as they were on the penultimate door of the corridor, a picture on the wall caught Josie's attention and she stopped to stare at it. - Bernini.

\- What? - The green-eyed girl asked, a little confused when she heard Josie's voice at her side. She had also stopped and looked at the painting. Finally Penelope could understand what Josie had said. - Oh, yes, The Abduction of Proserpina. It's my favorite sculpture - She confessed, and Josie looked at her in surprise, but then turned her attention to the painting.

\- I don't know how anyone could perfectly imitate the traces of a sculpture in a painting - She said, moving closer to see if there was any signature on that screen. - Well, the devil has to have some quality, doesn't she? - Josie said pointing to Hope's signature below the painting.

\- I don't believe she'll ruin even my favorite sculpture - Penelope said rolling her eyes.

\- Why is this your favorite? - Josie asked, interested.

\- Because of all the details in it, you can see how he captured both their beauty and facial expressions in each of them. It's almost real, the touch, the way it was made, the story behind the play. I have always liked mythology and this picture is a representation of the history of Hades and Persephone. Not that I think he'd kidnapped her, on the contrary, but I can't help but admire Bernini's talent in this sculpture - She said at last and Josie still looked at her a little surprised. Penelope realized it. - What? Did you think I couldn't have some culture too?

\- No, I'm just a little surprised, I didn't know you liked Bernini's work that much.

\- There are many things you don't know about me - Penelope said, staring at Josie, her eyes looking like magnets that held Josie's attention and the detective couldn't escape the magnetism that held her too, Josie swallowed hard as Penelope came a little closer and stood only a few inches apart from her. She could easily be a Bernini's sculpture, she thought as she managed to analyze every detail from the girl's face, in front of her.

They were taken from the bubble that surrounded them when they heard a scream coming from the penultimate door of that corridor, Penelope was the first to move away and go towards the noise, when Josie recovered herself, she followed the detective who had already opened the door.

The room was full of vampires, the cry of one of the girls present in the room didn't seem to bother them as they continued to feed on the victims. Penelope's blood boiled over.

\- _Phasmatos navaro pulsus sanguinox_ \- she said the spell and immediately the vampires pushed the victims' bodies, their mouths seemed to be boiling, they were enjoying the taste of vervain and Penelope was loving to see their suffering. Josie came in the back, but she was a little late. The people there, besides the vampires, looked at each other in confusion.

\- Make them forget it - Penelope said and Josie had no reaction at first, but from the situation she thought it was better to do what the detective asked her to. There were drops of blood on the floor, it was not an ordinary room, it looked like a game room, like a little secret club.

Josie passed by the vampires who were still fidgeting on the floor and made all the victims forget what had happened. When she did this and everyone was already leaving the room, one of the vampires managed to escape through the door using his super speed. Penelope took a step forward ready to perform another spell.

\- _Delfan e-_

\- No! You're better than that - Josie stepped in front of Penelope, preventing her from finishing the sentence and plucking the hearts of those vampires.

\- She's definitely not. What the fuck, Park, what do you think you're doing? - Hope's voice standed out and she appeared next to one of the vampires in the room.

\- What am I doing? You can only be kidding me, I should kill you right now - Penelope raged.

\- Try it - Hope said presumptuously, but Penelope wasn't going to swallow that cheap provocation.

\- Your little toys almost killed one of the girls here, do you think you can escape? Until when? - Penelope felt her blood boil through her veins, Josie had never seen her like this, not even when they had met Hope on the bridge.

\- What the hell, Kaleb? I said no deaths today! - Hope yells at the boy next to her.

\- But no one's dead! It was just a snack - He defended himself and Penelope clenched her fists. One of the vampires rose from the ground, but before he could leave the room, his heart was drawn out of his chest and went straight into Penelope's hand, who threw it on the floor with disdain. The vampire's body fell to the floor and Josie had her mouth open, she had not thought Penelope would do that.

\- I hope this serves as a warning - Penelope said as she walked past Hope, and the lower one held her arm tightly.

\- If it's war you want, it's war you'll have - Hope spoke at last, and let go of the detective's arm as she left without looking back. - What? Did you think she wasn't capable of killing?

\- I didn't think I'd want to see your face so bad when she did it.

\- Be careful, Saltzman, you may be the next victim. I hear she loves to hunt for rippers - Hope talked to Josie with a convinced smile on her face, Josie swallowed hard. - Did you think I wouldn't know the stories of the famous Los Angeles ripper? By the way, I prefer this version of yours than the current one - She said with disdain.

\- If I were you, I'd be more careful with my words. Sometimes your greatest desire can become your worst nightmare - Josie whispered to Hope's ear and left without telling Lizzie or MG, she just wanted to escape all the dark thoughts that took over her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo what your thoughts about Hope? And Josie? And Penelope? Lizzie? And the others? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! 
> 
> DONT FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE SOCIAL MEDIA OF THIS AU ON MY TWITTER OK? <3 (@ wearpy)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, sorry I'm taking too long to post the chapters. I'm not fluent in english, so an AMAZING person is helping me to translate the AU (my babe Theo @artchalkley). I ask for you patience. <3
> 
>  _Hey guys just correcting myself:_ the twins are 23 years old. Their birthdate is March 15th and in this au's timeline we are in April 2nd/3rd. And yes, Penelope is 24y old and Hope too!  
> Hope: May 2nd  
> Penelope: Feb 16th (I just supposed)  
> I'm so sorry. hope u understand:)
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you like the story!!! Any doubts that you may have, you can leave on the comments below or talk to me on Twitter (@wearpy).


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